Just like Daddy

November 3, 2017

“Just like Daddy” are three of the most gloriously terrifying words a father hears.

This is a popular phrase of my 3-year-old, who is simply following in the footsteps of his older brothers. Even though the older ones do not necessarily verbalize these words anymore, oftentimes their choices “say” them.

Children are hard-wired for imitation and learn most about life in their early years — for better or worse — by reflecting their (gulp!) daddy.

In the book of Genesis, man and woman were made in the image of God, not as equals to Him, but as representatives of Him (Genesis 1:26). They were designed to work in partnership with God to rule the earth and steward it as He would.

When the desires of our first parents went askew due to imitating a rebel of God (the devil) instead of God Himself, the DNA of imitation was badly marred. Many problems we face are the direct result of imitation, or the inability to imitate, so that jealousy and envy rule the day.

No wonder Jesus’ first words to His potential disciples are “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19). From the Gospels, we learn to imitate His self-giving love and dependence upon God. Through His ultimate act of love and dependence, He won for us new hearts with desires toward God when this good news is received with faith.

So when we talk about making disciples of Jesus, we must take this into consideration: We are to lead them to Him and then to be like Him. Paul says the very same words of Jesus with this one caveat, “imitate me, as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Likewise, we are to model the life of Christ for those the Lord entrusts to us while pointing them to depend upon God and not us.

Imitation is more foundational than creation, though. The Son has been the perfect imitator of His Father for all eternity (John 5:19). When you imitate Christ and lead others to do the same, you participate in one of the most fundamental aspects of reality. This is essential to life, because from before creation even existed, the Son has always been with the Father saying, “Just like Daddy.”

“Who’s Your One?” may be the most significant initiative Southern Baptists have ever undertaken. What would it look like if you utilized a strategy that got your groups on and off campus involved in “Who’s Your One?” as a group strategy?

The biblical narrative puts forth God’s vision to have a people for Himself that functions as priests to neighborhoods and nations to help bring about the reality that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

During the process of reaching the community around us, we must each move from thinking like a missionary to engaging like one. While it can be intimidating to make the transition from theory and strategy to actually entering the lives of people, it is well worth it. To make this transition, there are four characteristics we must embrace.

For several years now, I have been greatly burdened by the declining number of baptisms across the Southern Baptist Convention. I believe the baptism numbers serve as one of the best indicators of evangelism in our churches. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and that means that proclaiming the gospel is the core of who we are — not only as Southern Baptists, but most importantly, as disciples of Jesus Christ.

It’s hard to believe, but this year’s annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) is only three months away. Planning for this year’s meeting has actually been going on for many months as a group of North Carolina Baptists who make up our Committee on Convention Meetings began meeting in January with convention officers and some convention staff to pray and seek God’s direction for our time together this fall.